NYC President says social media harming youth

The President of the National Youth Council (NYC), Louise Victor, has expressed concern that misuse of the social media is harming young Saint Lucians.

Victor spoke against the backdrop of the posting of a video on social media, of an attack by two young women on another female.

The alleged attackers made an appearance in a Soufriere court on Friday, January 29, 2016, smiling and seeming totally unconcerned, while a woman shouted to them to smile for the cameras.

“There are times we need to draw the line between what is entertaining and what is inhumane and disrespectful and unacceptable, and that is where the lines are getting crossed,” the NYC President said in an interview with the Times.

Victor noted that in the past young people had their misunderstandings and quarrels.

However she observed that today, as a direct fascination with reality TV and its high ratings because of the drama portrayed, the young generation believes believe such drama is acceptable and if it is reproduced in their part of the world it would not be an issue.

In this regard, the NYC President noted that the misuse of social media is destroying young lives.

“Gone are the days when you were handed something and taught how to use it,” Victor asserted.

She added that the generation gap has played a role in how young people today, who were born with internet technology at their disposal, are educated.

“Before parents were better able to control what their children had access to and even if the children were able to access it, they were very cautious lest parents caught them doing something they were not supposed to do,” Victor recalled.

However she stated that now there are situations in which children are actually teaching their parents how to use the internet.

The NYC President asserted that because of a lack of guidance young people are left to adopt what they see and what appears to be popular, rather than what is ethical.

She expressed the opinion that as a result the negative agenda of social media attracts the youth, resulting in unsavoury matters being highlighted and sensationalized since those are what people react to.

The NYC President acknowledged the benefits of social media.

But she lamented that while the negatives get highlighted on social media, the positive contributions that young people make do not receive the same billing.